The other day there was a special on boxes of fresh chicken. 40lbs of chicken for $1.49 a pound. I trimmed up the chicken and placed 3 chicken breasts per gallon freezer bag. I ended up with 16 bags. Looks like I need to go buy some more. It also left me with 6 pounds of trimmings. I then put the trimmings in a large pot with 8 quarts of water, 5 celery sticks, 4 sliced onions, and 20 peppercorns. Simmered all of that for 2 hours and ended up with 6 quarts of Neff todo needchicken stock after I skimmed the fat off the top.
There is something amazing that happens when we work to make the most of what we have while saving and preserving what we can. There is a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. I'm grateful for the skills I've learned. I don't remember my mom canning anything during my growing up years, so I didn't learn to do this by example. I bought a Presto canner and the Ball Blue Book with recipes and canning instructions. This is something I learned to do on my own. I do need to thank my mother in law for showing me the high elevation pressure change section of the instruction book. By the way, the Ball chicken stock recipe is delicious. This one small part of my life is proof that people can change for the better. I became more frugal, self sufficient, and able to follow instructions by choosing to learn this skill - which originally came from preserving vegetable from my garden. Having a garden is life changing in so many ways.
How has learning to garden changed you?
Laura - to garden is to believe in tomorrow
